Sourav Ganguly

Calcutta: Exit Sourav Ganguly the cricketer, enter Sourav Ganguly the full-time columnist.

Some 72 hours after he left the Team India dressing room for the last time, Sourav churned out his maiden column as an ex-cricketer, a preview to the seven-match ODI series against England.

“I enjoyed writing it... It was fun, with absolutely no pressure at all... Today, I don’t have to bother about anybody asking why I said this or that,” Sourav told The Telegraph on Thursday evening.

Asked whether he’d be critical or pull punches, if criticism was warranted, Sourav laughed: “I intend being positive... The criticism, if any, will be constructive... That’s the way it should be.”

If it came to that, would senior-most pro and closest cricket buddy Sachin Tendulkar be ticked off? “Whoever... I’ll be positive... If I have to criticise, it will be with a purpose,” Sourav maintained.

Was his first day as a full-time columnist, then, quite like a stroll in the park...

“Indeed... Enjoyable... Obviously, I can’t compare my maiden Test (at Lord’s) or ODI run (at the Gabba) with the first sentence I wrote, though,” Sourav replied.

The other day, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni told this Reporter that Sourav had a knack for remembering facts, figures and was conversant with the history of venues.

“It’s remarkable,” is how Dhoni put it, in Nagpur.

Actually, Sourav doesn’t forget anything. Column No.1, for example, has talked of Kevin Pietersen’s role in getting Stephen Harmison to come out of (ODI-specific) retirement.

Given such professionalism, some journos could well be threatened. Sourav laughed again: “No... No, please... I won’t be sitting in the Press Box... Just see me as, say, a guest columnist!”

After years of looking forward to the most ethereal of drives on the off-side and some of the most quotable quotes, from Sourav, is it time now to perhaps read between the lines?

We’ll soon know.